Drugs of Abuse, A DEA Resource Guide, is designed to be a reliable resource on the most commonly abused and misused drugs in the United States. This comprehensive guide provides important information about the harms and consequences of drug use by describing a drug’s effects on the body and mind, overdose potential, origin, legal status, [...]

Drug overdose deaths continue to increase in the United States. From 1999 to 2017, more than 700,000 people have died from a drug overdose. Around 68% of the more than 70,200 drug overdose deaths in 2017 involved an opioid. In 2017, the number of overdose deaths involving opioids (including prescription opioids and illegal opioids like [...]

In a 2018 HR.com report sponsored by the National Association of Background Screeners (NABS), 95 percent of surveyed employers indicated that they use one or more types of employment background screening. The report also showed that while most respondents conducted checks during the hiring process, others did so throughout the employment life cycle. https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/toolkits/pages/conductingbackgroundinvestigations.aspx

We are in the midst of an opioid epidemic. Prescription opioids are being over-prescribed and misused. People have become addicted when taking opioids prescribed for them by doctors for acute, chronic, or post-surgical pain; or when inappropriately taking meds prescribed for others; or when buying illegal drugs on the street. https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/just-how-addictive-are-opioids/

U.S. employers are increasingly seeking ways to reduce the abuse of prescription opioids, according to new findings from the Washington, D.C.-based National Business Group on Health (NBGH), which represents large employers. https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/benefits/pages/steps-to-address-opioid-crisis.aspx

Kratom is a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia. Consumption of its leaves produces both stimulant effects (in low doses) and sedative effects (in high doses), and can lead to psychotic symptoms, and psychological and physiological dependence. The psychoactive ingredient is found in the leaves from the kratom tree. https://issuu.com/usdtl/docs/substance_v10i1_2018_for_issuu?e=16760800/68224420

Use of opioids during pregnancy can result in a drug withdrawal syndrome in newborns called neonatal abstinence syndrome or neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NAS/NOWS). Every 15 minutes a baby is born suffering from opioid withdrawal. https://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics/infographics/dramatic-increases-in-maternal-opioid-use-neonatal-abstinence-syndrome

Increase in Maternal Opioid Use Disorder and Neonatal Abstinence Syndromealpha20002019-03-14T21:36:58-04:00

Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) throughout the United States has risen dramatically. Fentanyl is approximately 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin. 1 in 10 pregnant women reported alcohol use. https://issuu.com/usdtl/docs/neotox_winterspring_2019_for_issuu?e=16760800/68221836